Stroheim finished his morning ritual in the viewing center as machines pumped blood into the pillar. "Major Stroheim," one of the scientists said, "The pillar is starting to show cracks." "Finally, progress," Stroheim said. "Luckily we saved up quite a bit of blood for this," the scientist noted, "The equivalent total is roughly equal to five full-sized adults. Any more and we suspect the Pillar Man would be too strong to contain." Stroheim looked curious. "However did you extract that much blood? On second thought, I don't want to know. I can already imagine."

He noticed Speedwagon quivering. "What's with this fear, Speedwagon? We had this chamber built specifically to contain this man, based on your notes. Not even a hundred vampires could break through it. Does a child fear a bear in a cage at the zoo? I believe this is just a primitive human that has managed to live long time." "Then you are too narrow-minded," Speedwagon countered, "My notes also made it clear that this Pillar Man could be even stronger than a vampire. And that is no human, mark my words. Also, my son was terrified of bears in the zoo when he was a child."

"Major Stroheim!," one of the scientists called out, "The pillar just exploded! All the blood we pumped inside is gushing out! It's impossible to see!" "Activate the showers!," Stroheim ordered, "We must maintain visual on the subject!" As the water hit the pillar, the man inside it started to emerge, the stone of his body turning to flesh before everyone's eyes. As the man landed, Stroheim smiled. "He's alive! Look, his flesh has gained a familiar color. But he must have a name. Constantly calling him 'The Pillar Man' sounds awkward."

He tapped his chin. "I suppose since I am the head of this project, then by rights I am his godfather. In that case, I shall name him after the Mexican winds... Santana!" Santana started to get up, but then slipped on the wet floor, causing Stroheim to burst out into laughter. "He's rather funny isn't he! But looked at him sniff around like a dog. Not what one would expect from an 'ultimate life form'. Seems he truly is as primitive as I thought. Still, Speedwagon's research suggests his tribe created the stone masks. So let's how he fares against one transformed by the mask."

A panel opened in the chamber, getting Santana's attention. Behind the panel was a hungry looking male vampire. "What in God's name have you done?," Speedwagon demanded. "We had a prisoner test the stone mask," Stroheim expected, "A few days ago he was just a weak old man, but now look at him. And this after just one feeding. However, he has not been fed today, so he'll naturally attack the first thing he sees out of ravenous hunger. Let's see how Santana handles him." Santana didn't move as the vampire approached him, grabbing him.

"He doesn't seem to be doing anything a normal human wouldn't," a scientist noted, "Major Stroheim, should we activate the explosive in the prisoner's head?" "Nein, not yet," Stroheim said, "Santana has not cowered like a normal human would. This may be part of some strategy." The vampire tried to sink his jaws into Santana, but got a terrible surprise, as did the soldiers and scientists. Instead of sinking his fangs into Santana, the vampire found his arm and front melting into the Pillar Man.

"His lower jaw," Stroheim noted, "And his arms. Santana absorbed him through contact alone." Santana grabbed the dying vampire and seemed to stuff him into his body. "Mein Gott!," Stroheim called out, "He's eating him! Santana is eating the vampire! The creatures of the stone mask are just food to his kind!" 'This is worse than I could have imagined,' Speedwagon thought, 'Dio was nothing compared to this new monster. If Santana finds his way out of this complex, it could doom the world!'

Meanwhile, Joseph and Applejack were continuing to travel to the temple, when Joseph got a nagging feeling. "Something wrong, Jojo?," Applejack asked. "Nothing," Joseph replied, "Just the odd feeling that we're being followed." They stopped to have a look around, but all they saw was a large red cloak in the middle of the desert. "Well," Joseph said, "That's not suspicious." He quickly grabbed the cloak and lifted it, but there was nothing under it but sand.

"I guess it was nothing after all," Joseph said. Just then, Applejack stepped in front of him and called out, "To The Core!" Her strengthened body easily blocked a knife attack. Behind the cloak had appeared a black-haired German. "Good intuition," the man said, "It seems you too are a Stand user." "So you have one as well?," Applejack asked, "Just who are you?" The man jumped back, grinning. "My name is Donovan, and I am a assassin working for the Waffen-SS." "Oh, just great," Joseph said sarcastically, "And why would the Nazis be following us?"

"I'm afraid you are under the wrong impression," Donovan said, "I was tasked with tracking you down, Joseph Joestar. To learn information on Straizo from you. But to think you'd be allied with another Stand user. I was planning on killing the girl, but I think Major Stroheim will understand if I decide to bring her along instead." He swiftly moved over the sand, light as a feather, before standing on a nearby cactus. Applejack spotted a cloaked skeleton following Donovan as he did.

"This is the power of my Stand," Donovan explained, "I call it Whispers in the Dark. With it I can move so silently even wild bats cannot track my movements, and leave no trace as I do so." "And apparently hide in shadows as well," Applejack noted. "Indeed," Donovan replied, "I was a skilled tracker and killer before, but thanks to the arrow we purchased from London, my skills have become even sharper." Joseph gasped. "Arrow? From London? The same one Aunt Twilight was looking for?"

"Let me handle this, Jojo," Applejack said, "I'm also a Stand user, so dealing with him won't be too difficult. He's putting too much faith in his own physical abilities, meaning his Stand can't be too strong." "Perhaps not," Donovan admitted, "But your Stand seems to only be defensive. And there's no way you could hold its power forever. I'll deal with you once I have the perfect opening, then Joseph will be easy pickings." He quickly dove under the cloak which threw itself at Applejack.

Applejack simply dodged out the way, grabbing and throwing Donovan across the desert as he come out to attack. "Don't take my Stand, To The Core, so lightly," Applejack warned him, "It does more than increase my defense. It strengthens my body to grant me superhuman physiology. So not only my defense, but my speed, agility, and yes even strength, all get enhanced. And as a bonus, I don't feel pain. But don't think that means I got a weakness, because I can feel something when I get attacked, so I know when to put my guard up."

Faster than Donovan could track, Applejack rushed at him and grabbed his head, slamming it into a nearby cactus, causing the assassin to scream in pain. Applejack quickly followed up with a hard punch to the gut, forcing the air out of Donovan's lungs. As he collapsed, Applejack said, "Your first mistake was explaining your Stand's powers. Once I understood them, it was easy to overwhelm you, since you didn't know anything about my powers." Joseph then grabbed Donovan's head. "Now then, Nazi bastard, how about you tell us what you know about Stroheim."

Inside the complex, the Nazis were still shocked at what they had just witnessed. They had come to believe that the vampires created by the stone mask were the same as the Pillar Man, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Santana was clearly on a whole other level. "I can't believe he just ate the vampire," a soldier said, "And he got bigger as well." "Calm down," Stroheim said, "He just gained some weight is all. That chamber is still large enough to hold him." Santana then looked up at Stroheim. "S... Stro... Stroheim..." Stroheim gasped. "He talked... He said my name... But he shouldn't be able to hear anything from in there."

Joseph couldn't believe what Donovan had just said. Applejack smiled as Joseph cried tears of happiness. "He's alive... Speedwagon is alive... Oh, Aunt Twilight will be so relieved. Still, we'll have to get him out of that Nazi complex." "Let me take care of business first," Applejack said, as she cracked her knuckles starting at Donovan, who gulped. As Donovan was left tied to a cactus, the duo rode off for the complex. Soon enough, they reached the large, Mexican building the complex was supposed to be under.

"There is it," Joseph said, "Cactus man said the lab was twenty meters under the ground. I really don't care what sort of experiments they were pulling off, but I hope Speedwagon is still alright in there." "Take a look at the entrance," Applejack said, "Those guards seem rather lecherous. They're ordering body checks for all the younger women trying to pass through." She thought for a moment. "That gives me an idea." She returned to the bikes and got out a bright green dress.

"Why did you bring a dress to the desert?," Joseph asked. "This is a cherished memory for me," Applejack explained, "A couple weeks before I met you, I was attending this new type of social called a Sadie Hawkins dance. It's a flip of the norm where the girls get to ask out whatever boy they want, instead of having to wait to be asked." Joseph rubbed his chin. "That sounds like an amazing idea. I could see that catching on quickly." Applejack finished changing behind a rock, then stepped out, causing Joseph's eyes to bug out of his head with how gorgeous she looked. "Oh yeah, that'll distract the guards no problem."

Sure enough, the guards were also slack-jawed as the gorgeous southern belle approached them, two bottles of tequila in hand. "Howdy there, boys," Applejack said in as sultry a voice as she could managed, "I was hoping to drop some tequila off at a friend's place. Care to let me through?" The guards nodded as they approached. Applejack smiled. Joseph had already charged the bottles with a Hamon spell, causing the air pressure in them to build up.

Now Applejack applied the finishing touch. "To The Core!" She shook the bottles violently, causing the air pressure to launch the corks into the nearby coconut tree. This knocked down two coconuts, which landed on the Nazis' heads. "Surprise!," Joseph said as he came dashing in, knocking out the guards with a swift kick. "Tacos!" "That reminds me," Applejack said, "I'm getting hungry. How about we grab a bite after we get Speedwagon out?" "Sounds good," Joseph said, "But first let's grab these officers' uniforms. That should help up blend in within the compound."

Inside the lab, tension was mounting. Santana had somehow disappeared from the containment chamber. "Major Stroheim," a scientist said nervously, "I just took my eyes off him for a moment. You were right next to me, everyone was. But we didn't see a thing..." He nervously picked up a coffee cup, but Stroheim knocked it out of his hands. "This is no time for drinking dummkopf! We have to focus on finding where Santana went! But you are right about one thing. All of us had our eyes on the chamber, no one looked away for more than a few seconds, and all of us have near perfect vision. So how could he have disappeared?"

He walked to the window. "Just to be safe, do not open the hatch under any circumstances until we confirm his presence. He must be hiding somewhere we cannot see... Stop the flow of oxygen! He'll come out once he starts suffocating." "Major Stroheim," a soldier said as he came in, "The film is ready." "Good," Stroheim replied, "Set it up and rewind it. Then we'll know where Santana hid." The projector was set up and the film started running. Stroheim and Speedwagon gasped when they saw what Santana was doing.

Somehow, he ran to the wall and jumped off it, then seemed to flatten his body to the point he could slip into the vent. "Impossible!," Stroheim said, "That's such a small opening, only four by two centimeters! Yet he folded himself up and slipped right through it!" 'This is more than just dislocating his joints,' Speedwagon realized, 'It's like he completely disassembled his body!' "Major," one of the scientists said, "I just thought of something. Earlier Santana said your name. What if he heard it through those vents?"

Stroheim considered it. "Ja, that makes sense. But still, that means his senses are far beyond anything humans are capable of." His eyes then widened. "Wait! Are you saying those vents are connected to this room!? Quickly, get away from all the vents!" One soldier, against Stroheim's orders, got his gun ready as he peered into one of the vents. That was a big mistake, as Santana leapt out of the vent and into the hapless soldier. "Dummkopf!," Stroheim yelled, "My orders were to get away from the vents, not get closer to them!"

"Major Stroheim!," the soldier called out, a huge hole visible where his eyes should be, "What happened? I can't see anything! Please, don't leave me here alone!" "He dove right into the soldier's body!," Speedwagon said in horror, "This is a level of terror Dio could never match!" The soldier started to grotesquely expand, inflating like a balloon. "I'm not sure what's going on," he said, "But I haven't felt this great in a long time..." "Gott in himmel," Stroheim said, "At this rate, it would endanger the Fatherland to let Santana roam free. May the Fuhrer forgive me, but our country comes first. Men, prepare to open fire! Shoot through the soldier's body!"

The soldiers immediately complied, but other than leaving bullet holes in the soldier's body, nothing seemed to have any effect. "I've seen Dio effortlessly shrug off bullets," Speedwagon noted, "There's no reason to doubt Santana can do the same." Sure enough, the solider, controlled by Santana, pointed a finger at the soldiers. "Is he trying to mimic a gun?," Stroheim wondered aloud, "He's merely copying us. Then earlier when he said my name, it was no different than a parrot. His intelligence is no different than a monkey. We may be able to make use of him after all."

Just then, the soldiers jaw literally dropped to the floor, and a new voice emerged. "Was it you... Who disturbed my sleep?" Stroheim gasped. "His intelligence isn't low, you fool," Speedwagon reprimanded him, "Humans learn from imitation all the time, from the moment we are able to open our eyes as toddlers. No, it's the exact opposite. Santana's intelligence is at a much higher level than humans. In just a short amount of time, he has begun to learn our language to the point of fluency, and he perfectly calculated his escape from the chamber."

The soldier's hand started to fall apart, leaving Santana's behind, which immediately fired off a bullet like it was a real gun. The shot tore through one soldier's brain, killing him instantly. "Hey," a southern sounding female voice whispered near Speedwagon, "We're here to get you out, Mister Speedwagon." "Applejack...," a very familiar British voice complained, "We were supposed to stay in character." "Well, I'm sorry Jojo," the girl known as Applejack said, "But my southern drawl ain't good for mimicking German."

Speedwagon's eyes widened. "Jojo?" "Guess the cat's out of the bag," Joseph said as he lifted up his borrowed helmet just enough for Speedwagon to recognize, "Good to see you're still alive, Uncle Speedwagon. Grandpa and the others were worried when we heard what Straizo did to you." Speedwagon smiled, but then his face turned grim as he turned back to Santana, who had shed the guard's skin. "Straizo's actions are the least of our problems right now," Speedwagon noted.

"Yeah, I saw what he did earlier," Joseph noted, "Me and Applejack here were able to sneak in during Tarzan's little diving routine. Don't worry about her, by the way. She's a Stand user like Aunt Twilight." Speedwagon looked at Applejack in surprise, who lifted her own helmet and smirked. Joseph hurried over to Stroheim and started pulling at his hair. "What are you doing, soldier?," Stroheim demanded. "Sorry there," Joseph said, "Just need to borrow a few follicles."

Taking a chunk of Stroheim's hair, Joseph started channeling his Hamon through them, turning them as straight and sharp as needles. "I call it the Hamon Hair Attack!" Santana fired off a few more shots, while Applejack called out, "To The Core!" To The Core emerged and started grabbing the bullets in midair. The ones it couldn't get either bounced off harmlessly, or got repelled when Joseph threw out the hairs in a Hamon barrier. Speedwagon and Stroheim were safe behind it. The rest of the soldiers and scientists weren't so lucky.

Santana looked on in surprise at the sight of the bullets seemingly floating in midair. "A Stand!," Stroheim realized, "She has a Stand just like Donovan! But we only had the one arrow!" "She must be like Enya was," Speedwagon realized, "She was born with her Stand." "Hey, Mister Nazi Guy," Joseph said, "I'd recommend investing in some moisturizer. This hair feels a bit dry. You wouldn't want to go bald now." Santana picked up the now limp hair and felt it. "Hair..."

Stroheim looked at the duo in shock. "You... You're Joseph Joestar, yes!? I'll worry about how you got in here later. That man, the one from the pillar. His kind created the stone mask, possibly as a food source. If he gets out of this compound, it could spell doom for the entire planet. The writing on the tomb where he was found suggest he is weak to the sunlight. I've heard you can use Hamon. Jojo, you must use it to destroy Santana!" Applejack walked up to him. "What was your name again?" "Major Rodul von Stroheim," Stroheim replied.

"Right," Applejack said, "Call me Applejack. Anyway, what on God's green Earth possessed you to awaken such a creature as this?" Stroheim grunted. "I'm beginning to question that myself. I've heard those outside Germany's borders call Herr Hitler mad. I'm starting to wonder if they might have a point." Joseph simply walked up to Santana. "So, you're a new being, right? You seem to be male, but are there any females of your species. And how do you make kids?"

Santana just remained silent. "Hey, now," Joseph said, "You were talking earlier. Why the sudden silence? I'm just trying to strike up a conversation." "Careful Jojo," Speedwagon said, "He's dangerous." "Well, maybe," Joseph admitted, "But it's like if you met Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster. You'd want to know more about them rather than just assume they're evil." "He killed dozens of my men!," Stroheim pointed out, "One of whom was unprovoked!"

"He's probably just grumpy cuz you woke him up," Applejack pointed out. Santana walked over to one of the fallen soldiers' guns and picked it up, observing it. "This tool... I've never seen it before... What is it?" "So he does speak," Joseph noted, "And quite well, too." "He's almost completely mastered the English language," Speedwagon noted. They four of them watched as he took apart the gun in short order. "Incredible!," Stroheim exclaimed, "He took apart that gun in so short a time! That normally takes hours of hard training!"

Santana then saw the bright lights. "Light... But not the sun... I can exist in this light... What is this light? How is it made?" Stroheim was struck by a realization. "Mein Gott... We weren't the ones observing him... He was observing us!" "Hey!," Joseph said, clocking Santana over the head with a helmet, "If you can understand our language, then answer when someone's talking to you!" Santana scoffed. "Annoying primitive..." He then got a sensation of pain as Applejack struck him in the head using the power of her Stand, sending him sailing into the nearby wall.

"I don't right appreciate you calling us primitive after we've had ten-thousand years to evolve in all manner of ways," Applejack pointed out, "I was planning on just leaving you alone and helping Jojo get Mister Speedwagon out of here, but if you're gonna be so condescending as to treat us like a lesser species, then I can't rightly let that slide." Santana grunted as he got up, confused. "She's just a human, but that punch was as strong as my people... And I was unable to taste her... Like her skin was too tough to digest..."

He growled, then rushed at Applejack and Joseph. To their shock, his ribs seemingly burst from his chest like blades. Applejack still had her Stand active, letting her easily tank the hit, while Joseph used his Hamon to block the other side of the ribcage. Santana looked shocked and backed off. "Him too... Have humans truly evolved so much in two-thousand years?" He quickly walked over to Speedwagon and slid his hand inside his brain, causing Speedwagon to mutter, "Terrifying." "No...," Santana noted, "This one is like before."

"That does it!," Joseph said, "Now you'll get a taste of my Hamon!" Santana's head snapped up. "Hamon? In this era?" Joseph plowed a Hamon charged fist into Santana's chest, but was shocked when it didn't seem to do anything. "That's not good..." "Uh, Jojo...," Applejack said, pointing at the floor. Joseph looked and saw the blood around them was being affected by the Hamon energy. "It's just like with Straizo's scarf," Joseph realized, "His skin is repelling my Hamon like a raincoat."

"Our bodies repel each other," Santana noted. He quickly shifted his flesh to try and break off Joseph's hand. It seemed to work at first, but Joseph revealed his hand was still fine, since he had rolled it out of the way just in time. Joseph demonstrated how the trick worked by using a similar trick that involved pretending to remove his index finger using his thumb, causing Santana to look surprised. "Still," Joseph noted, "It's troubling that my Hamon can't work on him."

"It is working, Jojo!," Speedwagon pointed out, "But it's too focused on preventing him from eating you!" "Joseph and Santana repel each other's bodies," Stroheim noted, "And earlier Santana noted trying to eat Applejack when her Stand is active was like trying to bite into a piece of meat too tough to chew. So at the very least, he won't be eating either of them. But how can they defeat him when they can't properly damage him?" "Maybe from the inside," Joseph reasoned, "Applejack, I need an opening!"

"I'm all over it!," Applejack replied, "To The Core!" To The Core emerged unseen to all but Applejack. With Santana unable to see it, the Stand gave a swift kick to Santana's crotch, causing him to feel enough pain in the area to drop to his knees in agony. "What was that? Some sort of invisible person? Why can't I see them?" He got even more confused when To The Core used its legs to hold down Santana's feet while also grabbing his wrists.

"He cannot see it," Stroheim realized, "Of course! Donovan noted he was the only one who could see his Stand's true form. Only another Stand user would be able to see it. Even Santana, with his superior senses, cannot detect it." "Incredible!," Speedwagon said, "It's actually restraining him! With Santana's flexibility he would normally be able to squeeze out of that grip, but he cannot even see the hand to properly affect that here! That means Applejack's Stand is capable of damaging physical objects! Even Twilight needed Hamon to do that with her Stand!"

Applejack, under the influence of her Stand, rushed over to Santana in a dodging maneuver, getting behind him and wrenching his jaw open. Santana tried to wrench his way free, but Applejack seemed to have a death grip on him. 'It's like training with my masters,' Santana thought, 'Except these humans don't seem keen on letting me live.' He saw Joseph rushing in and tried to intercept with his rib blades, but Joseph dodged around them before thrusting his fist down the Pillar Man's throat. "Hamon!"

With the Hamon energy forced down Santana's throat, he found himself getting ripped apart from the inside. Cut in half, Santana collapsed on the floor. "Such brilliant tactics," Stroheim admitted, "Our drill instructors in Berlin would be impressed. They clearly have good knowledge of each others abilities. But how did you avoid getting absorbed when you threw your fist into Santana's mouth?" "I got the impression as I was pulling off that attack," Joseph noted, "Santana said earlier that he couldn't digest Applejack. His word being 'digest', not 'absorb'. My Hamon was able to protect me while I was making that last attack."

"I get it," Applejack realized, "His whole body is like one big digestive system, each individual cell excreting the digestive fluid needed to break apart individual cells on his prey. But the way my Stand works, those cells grow tighter together, making them harder to break down. I've found myself tanking acid spills before, and this was something similar." Santana's arm then twitched, his still intact torso managing to wake up. "Damn," Joseph cursed, "Guess I still need to improve my Hamon's strength. Santana's still alive."

He quickly kicked up a nearby knife and chain, tying the chain to the knife's handle, then throwing it into Santana's hand. "Stroheim," Joseph asked, "Can this guy be killed by sunlight the way a vampire could?" "Yes," Stroheim said, "The carvings in the tomb suggest the Pillar Man race could be destroyed by the sun's rays." Joseph nodded. "Okay, Applejack, lend me a hand here!" Applejack grabbed the chain and helped Joseph pull Santana to the door. Between the two of them, Santana found himself being quickly dragged to the outside. He quickly realized what they were planning.

"Not yet...," he said, "I won't let myself be defeated by simple humans." Applejack and Joseph suddenly themselves growing heavier. "Something's weighing me down!," Applejack said, "It's getting heavier than even my Stand can let me lift!" "And it's so heavy it's throwing off my breathing!," Joseph noted, "I can't properly focus my Hamon! What's going on!?" They soon realized that other pieces of Santana had attached themselves to the duo, causing them to become heavier.

Stroheim scoffed. "If he's thinks he has us beat, he has a lot to learn about modern humans!" He quickly leapt over the group to the outer door, but Santana grinned, causing pieces of his flesh from his severed torso to grab Stroheim. "I can't absorb them, but I can absorb you." Stroheim growled. "Don't think you'll win this struggle! Applejack, grab the axe next you! Use it to cut off my leg!" "Are you nuts!?," Applejack said, "Giving up a limb could cause you to bleed out!"

"Better then getting completely eaten!," Stroheim reasoned, "And I'm the only one close enough to open the door outside!" "Damn fool Nazi...," Applejack muttered, but she nonetheless directed her Stand to grab the axe and chop off Stroheim's leg. "At least your kind is brave in the face of certain death, so I'll respect you for that much!" With his body free, Stroheim finished the task of opening the door, the bright Mexican day blinding and burning Santana. He started turning to stone once again, perhaps as a reflex, while Joseph and Applejack found themselves free from the flesh pieces.

Santana wasn't ready to give up, however, instantly diving into Stroheim's leg wound to survive outside. "Dammit!," Applejack called out, "I had a feeling he might try something like this!" Outside, Stroheim couldn't help but chuckle. "The truly terrifying thing is... It doesn't even hurt. Feels good actually. Well, I'm not long for this world, but I'll do my damnedest to take Santana with me!" He got out a stick grenade. "Jojo, Applejack! Even if this doesn't kill Santana, it will certainly expose him fully to the sunlight, so you two can finish him off. But before that happens, I must tell you something important."

He closed his eyes. "Awakening Santana was not just out of military curiosity. And right now, the German army has located another group of Pillar Men in Rome. Our people wanted to learn about their dangerous abilities in order to further our cause, but it's clear doing so could lead to the Pillar Men destroying the world, unless another weakness besides sunlight can be found. That's why we also began research into Hamon and Stands, hoping to find the means to destroy them if it came down to it. Please... Head to Rome, find Zeppeli... And destroy the rest of them..."

He pulled the pin and smiled as he held the stick of the grenade in his mouth. "Auf wiedersehen, Crazy British Bastard and Southern Belle Bitch!" And with that, the grenade went off, freeing Santana from Stroheim's body and exposing him to the full force of the sun. He grunted as his body started to harden and crack from the light. Quickly he ran with the force of freight train, grabbing Joseph and diving into the nearby well. Joseph chuckled, knowing it was over. "Your next line is, 'Now that I am the shade, you are dead.'"

"Now that I am in the shade, you are dead," Santana parroted, then gasped, "How did you...?" "But surprise!," Joseph said, tilting his head. Santana gasped in horror as light seemed to come from the water, just as intense as the sun outside. "Right now it's high noon," Joseph explained, "So the sun is shining right into the well and reflecting off the water with equal intensity. Basically you're being fried like an egg!" He chuckled. "You know, a so-called 'primitive human' would have realized the error in your thinking. Then again, you don't look at the sun much, so you don't know much about it other than its rays kill you."

He braced himself against the sides of the well, stopping Santana from reaching the water before he completely turned to stone. "And that's that," Joseph said, carrying Santana's petrified form to the surface. "Applejack, if you could take care of the rest." Applejack nodded. "To The Core!" She and her Stand finished the job of smashing Santana's head, destroying his brain. The rest of him remained intact, likely due to the petrification, but he wasn't going anywhere any longer. "That's one down," Applejack said, "But if Stroheim's words are true, we're not out of the woods yet."

Three days later, Speedwagon was able to return to Washington DC. Twilight was naturally relieved to see her husband had survived, and grateful that her birth father's arrow had been returned after so long. Inside the Speedwagon Foundation compound, Speedwagon and Twilight's son, Thomas Speedwagon, was observing the remains of Santana with the help of his Stand, Eyes Wide Open, which looked like a pair of goggles that enhanced his vision to the point where it was better than any microscope.

Thomas' own daughter, Sarah Speedwagon, was recording the observations using her own Stand, Fireflies, a series of tiny blips of light that could record visual information and transfer them to various mediums, especially film. "Our studies have confirmed it, Father," Thomas said, "Applejack destroying Santana's brain definitely killed him, much as it would a zombie or vampire. We tested it by introducing smaller lifeforms into his vicinity, under ultra violet light to be safe. He didn't react to any of them."

"Joseph's Hamon was able to damage the Pillar Man," Sarah noted, "If Uncle Jonathan or Grandma had been there, it's likely he would have been destroyed altogether. I drafted a food chain chart based on our findings, and the results don't leave much in the way of good news." Speedwagon observed their findings. "It seems strong Stand users can easily overwhelm the Pillar Men, as Applejack had. Twilight could easily have reflected Santana's rib blades with her Stand since she could easily perceive that as an attack, but what about the casual way he absorbed the vampire? Would that be perceived as an attack? Could it even be affected by Love is in Bloom?"

"We have three more chances to find out," Twilight said, "If the picture Joseph got from Stroheim's compound is anything to go by." "I noted something of interest upon closer inspection thanks to Eyes Wide Open," Thomas said, "This is no random configuration of faces. The different heights and different amount of horns suggests some sort of hierarchy. The one at the bottom resembles Santana, so it suggests he may have been the weakest of the Pillar Men."

"That doesn't bode well," Speedwagon said with a sigh, "It took a combination of Joseph's Hamon, Applejack's Stand, and Stroheim's final sacrifice just to destroy one Pillar Man. How much more powerful will the others be?" "The writings on the wall said the others found in Rome would awake in the year 2852," Sarah noted, "But that's going by the Mayan calendar. By our Gregorian calendar that translates to to 1938... This year!" Speedwagon closed his eyes. "Stroheim wanted us to destroy the other three Pillar Men. It's in our best interest to honor his request."

And so it was that the Joestar gang headed for Rome, Italy. Once the center of a thriving empire, it still remains a center of Italian culture even to this day, and many monuments from the Roman Empire's time can still be seen across the cityscape. It was here that Jonathan was walking, when he felt a familiar presence. "I know you're there, Zeppeli," he called out. "That's the one downside to teaching you Hamon," Zeppeli said as he appeared from behind a nearby fountain, "I can no longer sneak up on you like I did when we first met."

The two friends gave a friendly embrace. "You look good after fifty years," Jonathan noted, "Your hair's gone grey, but your face is still largely young." Zeppeli chuckled. "Hamon can only slow down the aging process, not stop it altogether. I heard what happened with Straizo. I must admit, Dire and I never knew this side of him. How is Dire, by the way?" "Just fine," Jonathan replied, "He's really expanded the Hamon teachings. He now has acolytes coming in from America."

"That's good news," Zeppeli said, "Master Tonpetty confided the existence of the Pillar Men to us before his passing. By now we have an entire army ready and waiting to fight them if necessary. But I suspect that destiny must fall on your grandson's shoulders, as the destiny of defeating Dio and the stone mask fell on yours." His face then fell. "Twilight told me how you lost your son during the Great War." Jonathan nodded. "A holdout of Dio's minions sequestered himself in the RAF, where he killed George and made it look like an accident. My daughter-in-law Elizabeth knew otherwise, but had to disappear after getting revenge."

Zeppeli shed a tear. "I too lost my son... Just three years ago to the very Pillar Men we are now trying to destroy. He is survived by my own grandson, who is also quite adept in Hamon. The boy is eager for his chance at revenge, but I was able to cool his blood enough that he will be patient. Speaking of, we're to meet him at the local hotel restaurant. I hope you're ready for a taste of Italian cuisine. Not to brag, but we Italians make some of the most delicious food in the world." "No doubt," Jonathan said with a chuckle, "I'll bet Joseph's stuffing his face as we speak."

Sure enough, Applejack and Joseph had just finished off a caprese salad. Applejack was now digging into her meat-stuffed ravioli. "Dang this is tasty," Applejack noted, "I've only had this stuff canned, but getting it fresh is so much better." Joseph was put off at first by his squid ink pasta, due to the black coloring and the misconception of the type of ink that was put in it, but once he tried it he couldn't stop eating it. Nearby, a blonde local scoffed at the two of them. "This hotel has certainly fallen recently with all the countryfolk here."

"Well excuse me for living!," Applejack yelled at him. She and Joseph noted the young woman the man was sitting with, who seemed to be swooning over him. "Look at him," Joseph said, "Getting all comfy in the restaurant like that." "I'll admit the guy's handsome," Applejack noted, "But I'm not sure I like the attitude that goes with it." The man gave the woman a small box, tied with a ribbon, placing it on the edge of the table. "A present from me, senorita." "Why did you place it over there?," the woman asked. The man smiled. "Because I'd like you to reach for it, so that I can look at your beautiful hands as long as possible."

"Can he really talk like that with a straight face?," Applejack asked, "And how can she fall for that? It's cheesier than the mozzarella in our salad." Inside the box was a jeweled necklace. "Wow!," the woman exclaimed, "This is so pretty." "I have a request, senorita," the man said, "Every night before you go to bed... I'd like you to think of me when you take this off." "No...," Joseph groaned, "Applejack, check my teeth, I think I suddenly have a few cavities from all that sweet-talking." "I'll place a charm on this necklace," the man continued, "So you'll fall under a magic spell of love."

Joseph growled. "I really hate guys like that!" "Join the club!," Applejack agreed. The man smirked at them, and moved to kiss the young woman, who offered no resistance. "And cast some magic on your lips." "So he's just doing all that to get some action," Joseph noted, "Then I think it's time to teach him a little lesson." He dug his fork into his pasta, then channeled Hamon through it, causing the strands to become as straight as they were before they were cooked. "A bit of Hamon spaghetti, set to wrap around his face when it hits him."

He flung the spaghetti at the man, who calmly deflected the noodles using his own fork and a few pieces of macaroni. Joseph and Applejack looked stunned, as the man twirled his fork before launching the spaghetti and macaroni combo into Joseph's wine glass. Seeing the spaghetti go limp, Jonathan sucked the noodles into his mouth. "So, he can use Hamon." "Signor Zeppeli," a waiter said as he approached, "You have a call from a Signor Speedwagon." The man nodded. "I see my grandfather's friends have finally arrived." Joseph and Applejack were slack-jawed. "That's the Zeppeli we're here to meet!?"

And Caesar joins the scene. This is my longest chapter in this story yet, but my desire to showcase just what Applejack and Joseph can do as a team combined with the large number of chapters for this arc left me plenty to work with.

By the by, i was questioned why Applejack would just up and join Joseph. Chalk it up to Applejack just wanting to help, that is in her character in canon after all, but given the absence of any sort of travel time we can assume she has been keeping in contact with her family while traveling. Something to keep in mind going forward.